Rail-joint.



H. S. SHAFER.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION IILED'AUG. 13,1908.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909,

wmeoow I attozwusq HOWARD S. SHAFEIK, OF NAZARETH, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL- JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

Application filed August 13, 1908. Serial No. 448,418.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, Howann S. Srmrnn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Nazareth, in the county of Northampton and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRail-Joints; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in rail joints.

The object of the invention is to improve the construction of the jointshown and described in my pending United States patent application,Serial No. 413,056, and to pro vide means whereby a positive electricalconnection is formed between the meeting ends of two rails; and meanswhereby said ends of the rails are also held in position.

'With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, combination and arrange ment of parts aswill be described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of the meetingends of two rails connected by my improved joint; Fig. 2 is a similarview, partly in section; F ig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view throughthe head portion of the rails, taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and Fig.i is a vertical cross sectional view of one of the rails on the line 4.4of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11, denote the ends of tworails, in the head portion of which are formed longitudinally disposedrecesses or sockets, 2. The recesses or sockets, 2, are in directalinemcnt when the ends of the rails are brought together and in saidrecesses is arranged a tubular connecting pin, or rod, 3, one-half ofwhich is adapted to engage each socket or recess. Through the tubularpin, 8, and extending into the sockets, 2, is a combined pinholding andcurrent-conducting wire, l, in which, adjacent to each end of the pin,is formed one or two coils, 5, which serve to hold the pin in place andalso provide for the expansion and contraction of the rails. Through oneside of the heads of the rails and connecting with the inner ends of therecesses, 2, are passages, 6, said passages being preferably arranged atan angle of about and are for the purpose of inserting a wire orsuitable instrument into the recesses, 52-, and into engagement with theend of the pin to force the latter back into the recess in the adjacentrail end to such position that the end of the pin will be flush with theend of the adjacent rail, thus permitting the rails to be disengaged orseparated without moving the same longitudinally.

In practice, the passages, (3, are preferably filled with a soft solderor similar material, which serves to secure the ends of the conductingand pin-holding wires, i, \Vl1lCl1 are extended or projected into saidpassages, 6, thus effecting a more positive electrical connection. Thesoft solder or metal filling of the passages, (3, also prevents theentrance of dirt or foreign matter into the recesses, 3. In applying thesolder to the passz'igcs, t5, the inner ends of the same are prefc ablyclosed by a small quantity of asbestos or clay, whereby the solder isprevented from running into the recesses, 2. The solder may be appliedto the passages, (5, in any suitable manner, but is preferablyintroduced therein by means of a tinkers pan made of clay and arrangedat the side of the rails so that the solder or other soft metal may beeasily poured intothe passages, 6. In removing the solder for thepurpose of inserting a wire or other instrument by which the pins, 3,are operated, a blow lamp or other heating device may be applied to therails at the position of the passages, and the solder thus softened topermit the insertion of the instrument of wire employed for pushing backthe connecting pins. Instead of removing the solder by softening thesame as described, the latter may be drilled out to provide access tothe recesses, 2.

By forming the passages, 6, through the sides of the head portion of therail instead of through the tread portions of the heads, the holes willbe less likely to become clogged up by foreign matter, or the outeredges of the passages broken or mutilated, as is apt to occur when thepassages are formed in the trends by the passage of the trains over theails.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, the construction and operation of the inventionwill be readily understood without requiring a more extendedexplanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor. details ofconstruction may be combined current-conducting and pin-holdresorted towithout departing from the prin ciple or sacrificing any of theadvantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by LettersPate11t, is:

1. In a rail joint, a pair of meeting rails having formed in theiradjacent ends longitudinally disposed sockets, a tubular connecting pinin said sockets, and a current conducting wire arranged through said pinand extending into said sockets.

2. In a rail joint, a pair of rails having formed in their ends alined,longitudinally disposed sockets, a tubular connecting pin in saidsockets, a current-conducting wire arranged in said rail sockets, andextending through said pin, and means whereby an in strument may beinserted into said rail sockets through the sides of the rail heads tomove said pin to an inoperative position.

3. In a rail joint, a pair of rails having abutting ends provided withlongitudinally extending registering sockets and with passages formedthrough the side of the rail heads and connecting with said sockets, atubular connecting pin in said sockets, a

ing wire arranged through said pin and having its ends extending throughsaid sockets and projecting into the passages in the side of said railheads, and means in said wire to hold said pin in place.

i. in a rail joint, a pair of rails having abutting ends provided withlongitudinally extending registering sockets and with passages formedthrough the side of the rail heads and connecting with said sockets, atubular connecting pin in said sockets, a combined current-conductingand pin-holding wire arranged throu hsaid pin and having its endsextending through said sockets and projecting into the passages in theside of said rail heads, a fusible material to secure said ends of thewire in said passages and to form a perfect electrical connectionbetween said ends of the wire and the rail ends, and holding coils insaid wire to engage the opposite end of said pin.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses;

HOWARD S. SHAFER. Witnesses lv IATTIE M. VVOODRING, WILSON E. BECK.

